Darius Garland delivered when it mattered most, scoring 14 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter as the Cleveland Cavaliers closed the game on a decisive 13-point run to pull away from the Indiana Pacers for a 120-116 victory Tuesday night.
Cleveland entered the fourth quarter trailing by nine but rallied behind Garland’s late surge, overcoming a depleted rotation to secure its fourth win in the last five games. Evan Mobley added 20 points, while Jarrett Allen and Sam Merrill chipped in 19 apiece. Merrill was especially sharp from the perimeter, knocking down 6 of 10 attempts from beyond the arc.
The Cavaliers were without All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who was given the night off, and continued to miss Max Strus, who is expected to be sidelined at least another month with a left foot injury. Cleveland also lost forward Dean Wade in the first half due to a bruised left knee, but still found enough offense and defensive stops to complete the comeback.
Pascal Siakam paced Indiana with 22 points, while Jay Huff tied his season high with 20 on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting night that included four 3-pointers. Andrew Nembhard finished with 15 points and 11 assists. The Pacers, playing without Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin and Isaiah Jackson, had a chance to force overtime in the final moments but came up empty as the game devolved into a free-throw battle. The loss extended Indiana’s franchise-record losing streak to 13 games in the NBA era, dropping the Pacers to a league-worst 6-31.
Cleveland heads to Minnesota on Thursday, while Indiana travels to Charlotte.
